In the field of non-impact printing, the most common types of printers have been the thermal printer and the ink jet printer. When the performance of a non-impact printer is compared with that of an impact printer, one of the problems in the non-impact machine has been the control of the printing operation. As is well-known, the impact operation depends upon the movement of impact members, such as print hammers or wires or the like, which are typically moved by means of an electromechanical system and which may, in certain applications, enable a more precise control of the impact members.
The advent of non-impact printing, as in the case of thermal printing, brought out the fact that the heating cycle must be controlled in a manner to obtain maximum repeated operations. Likewise, the control of ink jet printing, in at least one form thereof, must deal with rapid starting and stopping movement of the ink fluid from a supply of the fluid. In each case of non-impact printing, the precise control of the thermal elements and of the ink droplets is necessary to provide for both correct and high speed printing.
In the matter of ink jet printing, it is extremely important that control of the ink droplets be both precise and accurate from the time of formation of the droplets to depositing of such droplets on paper or like record media and to make certain that a clean printed character results from the ink droplets. While the method of printing with ink droplets may be performed in either a continuous manner or in a demand pulse manner, the latter type method and operation is disclosed and is preferred in the present application when applying the features of the present invention. The drive means for the ink droplets is generally in the form of a well-known crystal or piezoelectric type element to provide the high speed operation for ejecting the ink through the nozzle while allowing time between droplets for proper operation. The ink nozzle construction must be of a nature to permit fast and clean ejection of ink droplets from the print head.
In the ink jet printer, the print head structure may be a multiple-nozzle type, with the nozzles aligned in a vertical line and supported on a print head carriage which is caused to be moved or driven in a horizontal direction for printing in line manner.
Alternatively, the printer structure may include a plurality of equally-spaced, horizontally aligned, single nozzle print heads which are caused to be moved in back-and-forth manner to print successive lines of dots in making up the lines of characters. In this latter arrangement, the drive elements or transducers are individually supported along a line of printing.
In a still different structure, the nozzles are spaced in both horizontal and vertical directions, and the vertical distance between centers of the ink jets equals the desired vertical distance between one dot and the next adjacent dot above or below the one dot on the paper. The horizontal distance is chosen to be as small as mechanically convenient without causing interference between the actuators, reservoirs, and feed tubes associated with the individual jets. The axes of all jets are aligned approximately parallel to each other and approximately perpendicular to the paper. Thus, if all nozzles were simultaneously actuated, a sloped or slanted row of dots would appear on the paper and show the dots spaced both horizontally and vertically. In order to produce a useful result consisting of dots arranged as characters, it is necessary to sweep the ink jet head array back and forth across the paper, and actuate each individual nozzle separately when it is properly located to lay down a dot in the desired position. A vertical row of dots is created by sequentially actuating the nozzles rather than simultaneous actuation, the latter being the preferred practice in the more common nozzle arrangements.
A further observation in ink jet printers is that previous and current designs for drop-on demand ink jet print heads are sensitive to the ingestion of air into or the presence of air in the supply of ink. Even a small air bubble can interrupt or fault the performance of transducers or like devices that expel ink droplets from a nozzle by means of pressure pulses created within an ink-filled chamber or channel.
The use of a fast-acting valve or like device to control the flow of ink to a single ink jet printing nozzle is known in specific applications, but in certain cases the concept and structure has been considered costly and impractical. Additionally, the supply of ink to a plurality of ink jet nozzles may be controlled by means of a single control device wherein the nozzles are connected to a common manifold and ink droplet ejection is accomplished by momentarily increasing the pressure in the manifold.
After the droplets of ink have been ejected from the nozzles, the ink is replenished thereat from a remote supply by the capillary action of the meniscus at the end of the nozzle. In certain control devices and arrangements for ink jet printers, it has been found that some difficulties arise from the capillary action refill or replenish process and there are adverse effects on the performance and reliability of such printers.
In normal operation of an ink jet print head, it is known in the art that a negative meniscus of ink should be maintained at the nozzle, that the relative levels of ink in the various parts or areas of the system have an effect on the printing operation, and further, that the movement of the several printer elements affects the flow of ink during the printing cycle.
An additional observation in the operation of an ink jet printer of the drop-on-demand type is that each time a drop of ink is ejected from the nozzle, a pressure wave or surge originates thereat and travels back toward the reservoir of ink. Such pressure wave then may return toward the nozzle in a reflected manner of action and movement and cause faulty performance in the printing operation. It is of concern in the operation that such pressure waves are controlled in a manner so as not to affect the printing, or at least to minimize, the effect of any such wave motion thereon. It is also important to consider the arrangement of the several parts or elements of a printer when dealing with pressure changes associated with or caused by wave motion in the ink.
Representative documentation in the field of ink control means for ink jet printers includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,212, issued to S. I. Zoltan on Aug. 8, 1972, which discloses a well-known ink jet print device wherein an electro-acoustic transducer is coupled to liquid in a conduit which terminates in a small orifice through which droplets of ink are ejected.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,564, issued to H. Bettin on Aug. 7, 1973, discloses a multiple nozzle ink jet print head having an ink chamber with opposed electrodes and insulating partitions to define capillary chambers. Ink drops are initiated by electrical forces of attraction and repulsion between the charged writing fluid in a capillary channel and electrodes of opposite polarity mounted on either end of the capillary channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,579, issued to J. P. Arndt on Aug. 27, 1974, discloses another well-known pulsed droplet ejecting system wherein an electro-acoustic transducer applies a pressure pulse to the liquid in a reflection-free section of the transducer and sends a pressure wave to the nozzle to cause ejection of an ink droplet and includes conduit means and resistance material for absorbing energy of return pressure waves.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,801, issued to A. Watanabe et al. on Oct. 5, 1976, discloses an ink jet printer having at least one ink mist passage provided at a location closely adjacent the surface of ink solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,272, issued to K. Yamamori et al. on Mar. 29, 1977, discloses a chamber having an outer portion and an inner portion connected by a channel and wherein the portions are communicated to the atmosphere by vent passageways to withdraw air when the writing unit is first located with liquid and to prevent introduction of bubbles into the liquid during operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,868, issued to W. Kirner on Nov. 21, 1978, discloses a printer unit in which individual printing jets are connected through a distributor arrangement and supplied from an ink reservoir. An air venting or bleed passageway connects the ink reservoir and the atmosphere and has a diameter sufficiently small to produce a capillary effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,710, issued to M. Matsuba et al. on May 1, 1979, discloses an ink cartridge and a reservoir along with an electromagnetic cross valve for selectively connecting a nozzle with an ink liquid supply conduit from the reservoir or with an ink liquid drain conduit from a by-pass tank. When the valve is connected with the drain conduit, the ink liquid is at a height to remain in the nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,902, issued to Y. Kanayama on May 8, 1979, discloses an ink liquid supply system wherein a subtank is interposed between an ink reservoir and a pump in the supply line. A valve and a pair of filters are also provided in the line.
And, U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,595, issued to K. Jinnai on Dec. 11, 1979, discloses a first ink tank attached to a movable ink jet print head and a second ink tank fixedly mounted at an end of a carriage which supports the print head. Means is provided for sensing the amount of ink in the first tank at certain levels and indicating the amount of ink in the second tank.